Traceyann Massay is another of an increasing number of young people who are surrendering routine nine-to-five jobs to embrace the more challenging excursion into self-employment. The trend is as much a reflection of a desire to break free of the obvious constraints of being a wage-earner as it is a desire on the part of the young would-be entrepreneurs to test themselves in pursuits that demand generous measures of discipline, desire and determination. These days, too, the appeal of entrepreneurship is also driven by continually expanding consumer choices and by social media tools that have worked wonders for marketing.
Massay spent a period of her life as a wage-earner in the employ of Giftland Office Max, Toolsie Persaud Ltd and the Guyana Elections Commission. These days, she has two preoccupations. The first is to complete her three-year course of studies at the University of Guyana that will earn her a Degree in Public Administration; the second is to exploit what she believes is a growing and potentially lucrative market for gifts for newborns, infants and toddlers to mark milestones that include births, christenings and birth anniversaries.
While her ambitions precede the goal of motherhood that has not prevented this affable young woman from recognizing the potentially lucrative market into which she has stumbled. Unique Baby Gifs, the name of the small enterprise that she has set up at 448 11th Avenue Section B Block X, Diamond Housing Scheme, offers a range of ‘Baby Cakes.’ These are not edible, but are in fact creatively constructed hampers of baby items fashioned to resemble cakes or sometimes bouquets of flowers. Her creative presentations, she says, borrow from her long-honed artistic skills and her unceasing search – mostly on the internet – for ideas with which to augment those already incorporated into the enterprise.
Gifts for babies can range from simple offerings priced at around $4,000 to more exotic, creatively designed packages that can set the buyer back upwards of $20,000.
It is, she says, an indulgence that is popular with middle-class families without being off limits to working-class customers who still want to do “nice things” for babies.
These days much of her marketing is done by social media. It appears that people who are in the market for ‘Baby Cakes’ are lovers of Facebook and it is on Facebook, in large measure, that Massay looks to attract the attention of customers. Over time she has developed a following and cultivated numerous ongoing conversations with a supportive clientele. Oddly enough, her first ever customer was a US-based buyer seeking a gift for a local baby.
Beyond Facebook Massay continues to grow her market through various other traditional means. She is a not infrequent visitor to places where babies and mothers might be and, she says, strategically placed gifts at maternity wards in local hospitals have had a knock-on effect on sales. She has become adept at spontaneously and unashamedly lobbying potential customers and at creating an ever-increasing range of designs that are creatively bundled up into attractive gifts.
From a business perspective it has not been a walk in the park for Massay. Like most fledgling businesses, growth has been constrained by limited access to capital. Among her current priorities is a high street vantage point that would allow for a showroom and a walk-in facility. That, she believes, could significantly enhance the popularity of her enterprise. She is open to opportunities for support from big business that might help her business grow even more.
For the time being, however, she is not unhappy with the gradual growth that Unique Baby Gifts is enjoying. She understands, she says, that it is up to her to create the momentum that will eventually turn a modest business idea into what, hopefully, will be a successful enterprise.
